The Deque Blog

Mobile Accessibility: TED’s Updated iOS App

By Deque Systems on February 8, 2013

Streaming Subtitles

TED is a non-profit that is known for being on the forefront of technology, entertainment, and design. One of their major drawing points are the TED Talks they host on their website and on mobile. TEDs main mission statement is "Ideas Worth Spreading" and with their new iOS app update available now, TED is making their ideas accessible to more people.

While the faster streaming and buffering capabilities of the new version of their app are a welcome addition to their already free app, the feature most impressive to those of us at Deque is their real-time caption integration! With this update, the TED app becomes the largest content provider to use the new iOS6 subtitle feature. This means that all of the streaming video available through the app can now be subtitled in over 90 different languages. What's better, if you're using Apple TV and AirPlay, the subtitles transfer over to the device you're using to watch the videos.

Through the effort and hard work of software engineers and a worldwide network of volunteer translators, TED has made it possible for individuals with hearing impairments to get access to their wonderful content. For their hard work and effort, the accessibility community salutes them.

If you are looking for more information about what digital accessibility is, and who it impacts -

For over fifteen years, Deque has been helping major corporations, government agencies, and other organizations ensure that their websites and mobile apps are accessible to everyone. We have more than fifteen years of history of serving the federal government, including undertaking the biggest accessibility program that's occurred in the United States government or anywhere. Deque also works with .edu's and mission-focused nonprofits to ensure that their materials and systems are usable and barrier free for users with disabilities. The company invented the first accessibility plug-in software, the first web-based testing platform, and the first server-based accessibility solution. All of these have been created in the service of helping our customers become accessible, advance the goals of their organization, and remove barriers for all users on the web.

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Digital equality. It's our mission, our vision, and our passion. We believe that websites, mobile applications, and digital content should be accessible to people with disabilities - and we're passionate about creating technology that can make that vision a reality.